Instead
of police investigating these crimes there has been a new wave of house
raids of two animal campaigners and one animal protection organisation in
Salzburg

The very
same offences being used in court to claim the existence of a criminal organisation
within the animal movement, which 13 campaigners supposedly supported with
their legal campaigns, are being perpetrated against VGT on a regular basis.
Since December 2009 VGT has been victim of slashed tyres, glued locks and
smashed windows.

Dr Balluch:
“We find ourselves in the position of being terrorised from all sides.
As an organisation that uncovers the abuse of animals, not only do we suffer
continuous damage to our property and regular death threats but also the
seemingly never ending police persecution through this monster trial against
us”.

On 28th
September 2010 there were further raids on campaigners' homes by police.
They are suspected of investigating and reporting illegal keeping conditions
documented in a pig farm and then on the following day returning to the
farm and turning off the ventilation system so that 163 pigs died from suffocation.

Dr Balluch:
“This accusation is just as absurd as claiming that the releasing
of pigs from an intensive unit in 2008 is punishable as animal cruelty.
Police has been investigating the animal protection movement since 2006
and failed to find evidence to convict anyone and still 13 people have been
sitting in court for 7 months and now the police continues with more house
raids whilst ignoring death threats and the like against us”.